Going Viral

Abstract

Going Viral is an interactive artwork that invites people to intervene in the spreading of misinformation by sharing informational videos about COVID-19 that feature algorithmically generated celebrities, social media influencers, and politicians that have made or shared claims about the coronavirus that are count- er to the official consensus of healthcare professionals and were categorized as misinformation. In the videos, algorithmically-generated speakers deliver public service announcements or present news stories that counter the misinformation they had previously promoted on social media. The shareable YouTube videos present a recognizable, but glitchy, reconstruction of the celebrities. The obvi- ous digital fabrication of the videos prevents their classification as deepfakes by content moderators and helps viewers reflect on the authority of celebrities on issues of public health and the validity of information shared on social media.